Electrolytic system of refrigeration.



No. ss|,a27. Patented lune l9, I900.

Y c. .1. COLEMAN.

ELECTROLYTIC SYSTEM OF REFRIGERATION.

(Application filed Oct. 20, 1899.)

(llo Ilodal.)

has

UNITED i STATES? PATENT" OFFICE.

CLYDE J. COLEMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINoIs, A'ssIeNoR 'ro THOMAS J; RYAN, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTROLYTIC SYSTEM OF asrnlcsnA'rlou.

SPECIFICATION forming. part'of Letters Patent No. 651,897, une I9, 1900. r I Application tiled October 20, 1899- Berisl Io. 784,8li (Io model.) I

it?) all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I', CLYDE J. COLEMAN, a citizen ot the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and..State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrolytic Systems of Refrigeration; and I do hereby declaretho following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to to the accompanyingdrawing, forming a part of this specification. 1

The present invention relates to that class of refrigeration systems and apparatus" in which the respective operations automatic I 5 ally follow each other'in" succeeding cycles.

The object of the present improvement is to provide a simple and eflicient electrolytic system of refrigeration, and which also involvesa simple and efficient means of automatic control, whereby the operation of the system .is rendered continuous as well as responsive to changes in conditions during continued use, all as will hereinafter more fully appear. y p

z 5 The accompanying drawing, illustrative of the present invention, is an elevation, partly in section,of' a refrigerating apparatus embodying the present invention.

Referring to the drawing, 1 represents the storage or condensing coil or chamber; 2, the expansion or cooling coil'or chamber, in which I the'refrigerant medium is expanded to eflect the cooling operation of the system; 3, theex-, pans'ion-valvc, by means-of which the refrigerant medium is admitted to the expansionchamberz in an automatic manner, depending upon .the condition thereof, and 4-; the power apparatus, by which the refrigerant medium is taken from the expansion-chamber and transferred into the condensing or storage chamber ina closed and continuous cycle of operations.

The above described members or portions of arefrigera-tion' system and apparatus are in a broad sense common to the present type of refrigeration system and apparatus and may be of any usual and approved construction and coupled together in any usual and suitable manner. I

1 In the accompanying drawing, illustrative -refrigerant medium of the system.

of the present system, the upper and outlet end of the motive-power portion 4 of the system is connected, by, pipe connection 5, with the condensing or storage chamber 1, such pipe connection being provided with a check valve 6 to prevent a return flow of the refrigerant medium from such condensing-chamber into the motive-power portion 4- of the present system.

Th e condensing-chamber 1 is-connected to the expansion or cooling chamber 2'by a pipe connection 7, in which. is arranged the expansion'valve 3, heretofore described, and the expansion or cooling chamber 2 is in turn connected to the upper and inlet end of the motive-power portion 4 of the system by the return-pipe connection 8, provided with a check-valve 9 to prevent backflow from such motive-power portionof the system into such expansion or coolin chamber. 7c

The first part .of e, present invention Involves, broadly, as -a mea s for transferring the refrigerant medium from one part of the system to the other and for maintaining the required degree of pressure or vacuum in the same of a closed electrolytic'cell or vat con- -taining as an electrolytic bath any suitable body cr'liquid-such, for-instance, as chlorid .of ammonium or chlorid-of sodium-that is adapted by electrolytic decomposition to afford a gaseousmedium adapted to act as the In the type of apparatus shown in thedrawing as illustrative of the pres'ent invent on the closed electrolytic .cell or vat 4,'const1- tutin g the motive-power apparatus of the system,.will be'arranged intermediate of the storage or condensing chamber 1 and the expansion .or cooling chamber land will be provided with the proper terminals or anodes and cathodes 10 and 11, ';connected with the electric battery 12 or other suitable source of electromotive force.

Chlorid of sodium is given as-au example of a decomposable bodysnitable to the pres cut system, in that it affords under electrolytic decomposition a gaseous body (chlorin) adapted to act as the refrigerant medium of the system and at the same time leave a solid base behind which will reabsorb said refrIg-- roe 3s nge'chamber the circuit of the electrolytic cell willbe' againclosed to recomme'uce a pansion or cooling chamber and in so doing aid ma 2 dunes e'rant medium or gas as it comes from the ear- 'terially in maintaining the desired degree of vacuum therein. a

Another part of the present invention involves an automatic regulation of the operations of'the present system, in which the action of theco'oli'ng or expansion chamber is continuous and responsive to the varied demands arising during continued use, while the action of thestorage-or condensing chamber and-the electrolytic cell or vat is of an intermittent nature-and responsive to the actions and requirements of the cooling portion of the 's'ystem.

In the constructiouillustrated i i-the drawing-for attaining the above-described re- .sults, 13.isa thermostatunder the influence of the expansion or cooling chamber 2 and ,valve 3 of the system.

adapted with variationsiu temperature in the said chamber to open or close the circuit of the electromagneticaliy-actuated expansion- 14 is a pressure gage or to the, condensing or storage chamber-andv adapted with a predetermineddegree ofpres sure in the storage-chamber 1 to open the circuit of the electrolytic cell or vat 4 by means of the circuitbreaker 15 to prevent the further geuer tion of the gaseous refrigerant medium a d at the same time permitthecontents of such cell to act as an absorbent for g the gaseous refrigerant medium from the cooling Cl expansion .coil 2. -Wit-h a predetermined drop inthe pressure within the storgeneration of the refrigerant gas, and so on in continued and succeeding cycles, during the continuance of thepresent process. 1

listing thus fully described mysaid iuvenengine connected.

tion, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 'is- 1 "The herein-described electrolytic system of refrigeration, the same comprising the generation of the refrigerant medium by electrolytic action, the storage of such refrigerant medium under pressure, and the subsequent expansion thereof to efiect a cooling action,

substantially asset forth.- I

2. The herein-described electrolytic system of refrigeration, the same comprising the generation of the refrigerant medium by electrolytic action, the storage of such refrigerant medium under pressure,the expansion ofsuch stored medium to etfect a cooling action, and

ed refrigerant medium for reuse, substantially as set forth. I

, 3. The herein-described electrolytic system of refrigeration, the same comprising a controllable generation-of the refrigerant medium by electrolytic action, the storage of such refrigerant medium under pressure and a con- In testimony whereof witness my hand-this 1 2d day of Septemb6r,;18 99.

. CLYDE J. COLEMAN. In presenceofv ROBERT BURNS,

II. A. NOTT.

the subsequent rabsorption of such expand- 

